It is hard to appreciate the length of the wings of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) when it is standing in the water. When it takes off, however, the heron extends its wings fully and the sight is amazing, especially when the heron is flying away from you. This Great Blue Heron that I spotted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge initially was standing on a small sandbar, but took to the air when it detected my presence. It started out heading away from me and gradually turned to my right as it gained altitude.
In case you are curious, the wingspan of a Great Blue Heron is 65.8-79.1 inches (167-201 cm), according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. Wow!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Interesting! You may have seen that I have a bit of a thing for herons. 😀
🙂 Herons are one of the birds that I can watch for extended periods of time–partly because they stand motionless so much of the time, patiently waiting for the optimal moment to strike.
I love the level shot at the bottom.
Thanks, Dan. There are things I personally like about each one of the shots, but each has issues as well. The biggest problem was that the day was dark and cloud covered, so there was not much contrast in the images.
Glorious shots of the heron in flight Mike ! Thanks
Thanks, John. When it comes to capturing birds in flight, it sure helps that herons are big and relatively slow. 🙂
Nice captures, Mike.
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Thanks, Mitzy.
They always make me think of pterodactyls!
Yikes–flying dinosaurs. Why not? 🙂
A wing span taller than me! Spectacular shots; I can feel the struggle of those first few wing strokes, fighting for elevation and lift.
John used my word! Glorious! I found one in a secluded creek bend once raising a racket. My friend said it was likely a mating call? I laughed and laughed at that usually silent bird. When we used to canoe the heron would sense our presence and fly further ahead of us. When we caught up to the next perch it would circle back behind us. Rarely made a sound at all.
Beautiful photos, Mike!
Once years ago I was in a canoe on Clopper Lake in Seneca Creek State Park (MD) when a Great Blue Heron took to the air right smack in front of us. OMG that wingspan was magnificent! I will never forget it.
Herons (and pelicans and gannets and albatross, and…and…and) are poetry in motion. Lovely shots, Mike.
Thanks, Gary. One of the great things about the big birds is that it is a whole lot easier to focus on them when they are flying. I almost drive myself crazy when I try to photograph the little birds in flight.